Preston North End (H): Preview

A 12 noon Sunday kick-off to accommodate Sky keeps me once again away from Elland Road. These lunchtime kick-offs are notorious for producing slow starting, low key performances and contests. The crowd is usually half asleep, having not relished setting off at breakfast time, instead of after lunch for the traditional 3 o’clock Saturday afternoon start, especially after being out on a Saturday night. The world has changed and football has changed with it, but some of us still can’t get used to it after 30 years of Sky.

By the time all matches are allowed to be played and screened at 3pm I will be too old to go to a live game. Now I pick and choose and my criteria has to be met….Park Fisheries must be open at the top of Beeston Hill (the best fish and chips in the world). Thankfully I can send my season ticket back and it is always resold… Elland Road still has 36,000 crowds whatever day and time Leeds play. Towards the end of the season, if Leeds are in contention for an auto spot, it will be different for me, as it would be if we were in the Premier League. However great it is seeing Leeds win, the Championship, for all the good things about it, is second best; it is a bit different going to see Preston North End instead of Liverpool.

Daniel Farke has to get his Premier League-class players up for this kind of challenge for most games. He has to keep them at concert pitch and has been doing a great job so far as this relentless campaign clicks onto game number 28 out of 46 tomorrow. Preston are another inconsistent mid table team, having won 11 and lost 11 so far. Their best performance was their recent win over Leeds at Deepdale before Xmas when Meslier was sent off, probably costing us 3 points. Tomorrow it is again vital that Leeds win. Leicester are home and dry, top o’t league, and Ipswich and Southampton are above us, winning virtually every week it seems, and we have to keep up with them to have any chance of automatic promotion.

Rumours abound that Gnonto will be sold and that one or two defenders will be signed in the the last days of January to bolster the squad but Farke seems relaxed and happy with his lot. He has a cool head on his shoulders and we could not be in better hands. Another home game on Wednesday night against Norwich follows the Preston game and anything less than 6 points from these two games will be hugely disappointing. Farke will demand two wins and I expect it to happen.

By David Dean